South Korean officials said on Thursday that the country would offer a visa exemption to certain visitors from China starting from the third quarter. That is according to several media reports.
The Korea Post newspaper described the move as “temporary”, and for “tour groups”, adding it was “largely seen as a reciprocal gesture following China’s decision in November last year to allow visa-free entry for passport holders from nine countries, including South Korea, until December 31, 2025”.
According to that news outlet, South Korea began reviewing the idea of a temporary visa waiver for Chinese group tourists in December last year and had “now officially confirmed the measure”.
The Korea Post cited a South Korean Foreign Ministry official as saying: “There is a shared understanding between the two countries on the importance of expanding people-to-people exchanges, and we have considered taking corresponding measures to China’s visa exemption policy.”
The news platform cited social media comment from Dai Bing, China’s ambassador to South Korea, saying he believed “these convenient entry measures will allow the people of both nations to travel more frequently and foster closer ties”.
South Korea has an extensive casino industry, though all but one of the gaming venues are foreigner-only facilities.
China has had a long-standing public education campaign among its own citizens against “overseas gambling” and “cross-border gambling”, and issues periodic warnings on the topic.
South Korea has long been a popular destination for Chinese consumers in relation to food, cosmetics, K-pop and other forms of Korean popular culture and fashion.
